Advocates, lawmakers debate DUI laws

AUSTIN — Over the years, the number of fatalities caused by intoxicated motorists has gone down in Texas, but drivers under the influence remain a major road threat, a legislative panel was told Monday.

“We’re making good progress,” Bill Lewis, public policy liaison for the Texas office of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, told the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee.

“But look at the body count,” Lewis said in reference to the 1,259 annual DUI deaths statewide, by far the largest number in the nation.

In California, the number of DUI deaths was 759 last year, Lewis told the panel.

“California has 12 to 14 million more people than Texas, (but) they consistently kill fewer people than Texas,” he said.

In Amarillo and Lubbock, like across the state, intoxicated motorists are a serious threat to public safety, according to law enforcement agencies.

In Amarillo, for example, of the 23 accidents that have caused 28 fatalities this year, nearly half have been alcohol-related, said Cpl. Jerry Neufeld, public information officer for Amarillo Police Department.

“That is something we strictly enforce, cracking down on intoxicated motorists,” Neufeld said.

It is a similar story in Lubbock, said Sgt. Robert Hook, who oversees the accident investigation unit within Lubbock Police Department.

“We’ve had 22 fatalities this year, and half of them are alcohol-related,” Hook said.

The House panel heard from Lewis and other witnesses — mainly from law enforcement agencies — who mostly told the panel that though existing state laws have helped to crack down on drunken motorists, additional legislation is needed to get them off the road.

MADD, for example, is advocating for more sobriety checkpoints and engine interlocks for people convicted of DUI offenses.

Interlocks are devices installed on car dashboards that work like Breathalyzers.

“The evidence is overwhelming — and very old, because this is not new — but it shows that it saves lives,” Lewis said regarding sobriety checkpoints.

“Checkpoints are very good at saving lives,” he said. “That is why the Legislature needs to get involved in this.”

But how much the Legislature gets involved on tougher DUI laws remains to be seen.

No major proposals were approved in last year’s session.

One high-profile bill — called “Three strikes — you are out” because it would have permanently revoked the driver’s license of any motorist convicted of a third offense — did not even get a committee hearing.

Also, since the two-month bill pre-filing period began Nov. 12, no bills aimed at cracking down on drunk drivers have been filed.